I don’t like Avatar movies. I recognize it. They seem boring and unoriginal to me. I admire the technical prowess they represent, but they don’t surprise me. With the world of Pandora, however, just the opposite happens to me. It seems like a rich and interesting world to me and I want to know more about it, I want to be able to run through its forests and fly over its skies. And this is exactly what Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is about.
The quick comparison – because it is an open world and because it is from Ubisoft – is with Far Cry. “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a Far Cry with aliens on an extraterrestrial world,” we could say. And we wouldn’t completely lie, but the new thing from Ubisoft goes a little beyond the usual formula and it’s all thanks to Pandora.
Moving through the forests and jungles of Pandora is something new and exciting. The player plays a Na’vi who was kidnapped by an advance group of human colonizers called the RDA. He is one of the last of his clan and, right at the beginning of the adventure, he manages to escape. As he has been raised by humans, the Na’vi protagonist does not know the world around him and thus the player learns at the same rate as his Avatar.
Frontiers of Pandora is a constant discovery and shines especially when it fascinates you with the landscapes, flora and fauna. The Na’vi are connected to the world and this allows them to interact with nature in unique ways. It’s also especially fun to control a three-meter-tall humanoid with supernatural strength and agility.
And here comes the best of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Although what follows next, without being the best, does not have to be bad. We are facing an open world from Ubisoft and we know what we can expect: missions in which to clear camps, exploration and a lot of shooting. But, while Far Cry has dipped into absurd – and ridiculous, at times – humor, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora maintains a consistent tone.
Ubisoft knows how to make open world games with lots of action. The shootouts are fun and the stealth, without being the best in the world, is decent enough to serve as a real alternative in some missions. I would say that this Avatar game captures guerrilla warfare better than Far Cry 6.
Then there’s the issue of loot and leveled gear. This is where the participation of Ubisoft Massive (the studio responsible for The Division) in development is partly noticeable. You get a lot out of the experience by dressing your Avatar according to the stats of some new pants or changing bows every 15 minutes. So far, I have never participated in a war on an alien world, but I doubt that weapons have modifiers like “5% damage to marked enemies” and that black jeans give me 20 more life points than blue pants.
The path that the Na’vi protagonist follows is twofold and expresses his own internal division. He’s a Na’vi, yes, but he was torn from his clan as a child and raised by humans. To the other tribes he is a stranger. As a Na’vi, you must meet and reconcile with other clans, who help you on your adventure by teaching you the secrets of Pandora or helping you master ground and flying mounts.
But at the same time, the GDR continues to exploit the planet’s resources, thus destroying its flora, fauna and inhabitants. Your second objective is to end the plunder and defend what is now your home. At the end of the day, the themes of this Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are very similar to those of the movies, but they end up having more impact thanks to the fact that you are the one who runs and fights for Pandora (something that can be especially fun in the cooperative mode in line for two players).
“Ubisoft games” are often talked about as something negative. Formulaic and unoriginal titles. And there is some of that in Frontiers of Pandora, but it is surely one of the best “Ubisoft games” of recent years. There are many moments that seem almost taken from a National Geographic documentary about alien worlds and flying through Pandora is incredible.